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Devil
Dog: The Hound Of Hell
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U.S.A.
(Made for TV)
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1978
Directed by Curtis Harrington
Starring
Richard Crenna
Kim Richards
Martine Beswick
Color |
95 Minutes |
Not Rated
Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC |
2-disc set)
Shriek Show
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Guest
Review by William
P. Simmons |
Debuting
on Halloween Night, 1978, this made-for-television
horror film invites more snickers than shudders.
An easy movie to poke fun at, Devil
Dog: The Hound Of Hell is rather a bad
little puppy. Driven by a ludicrous premise, it
quickly descends into moments of silly plot development
with characters whose motivations defy common
sense. The performances in this unapologetic pulp
thriller, while adequate, cannot help but occasionally
reveal a degree of astonishment by the cast that,
yes, they are in a movie about a possessed
doggie — and one who is too damn cute to truly
provoke the fear demanded by the scenario.
But don't
let the whimsical approach of the filmmakers or
a lack of violence deceive you. This Curtis Harrington
schlock-fest harkens us back to the day of sloppy-eyed
monsters and dogs dressed up as killer shrews.
Taken as pulp, it's a bit o' harmless fun, easy
to enjoy while understanding its deficiencies.
Directed
by cult film legend Harrington (Queen
Of Blood, Whoever
Slew Auntie Roo?), the wacky premise pits
a typically happy and healthy 'God and Apple Pie'
family headed by Richard Crenna against slavering,
whining, testicle-licking evil —
no, not your next door neighbor, but a demonically-possessed
(is there any other kind?) German shepherd whose
evil presence and capability for violence the
filmmakers try to depict in believable fashion,
and whose hunger for human souls is the major
supernatural threat that drives what little suspense
is found in the story. The dog's unholy hunger
also proves a catalyst for evoking in physical
form the internal problems bubbling just beneath
the surface of the family, and before long, external
stress pops open the blister of discontent and
emotional uncertainty within them. This understated
degree of family politics provides an interesting
if not quite successful context for the demonic
action.
Occult thriller influences
as far ranging as The
Omen and Zoltan:
Hound Of Dracula are evident in the
story and direction (although the supernatural
angle is certainly better exploited in the latter).
The town as setting and cultural context for the
devilish doings is believably established and
photographed, creating a sense of normality against
which the dog's spiritual terror operates. While
enjoying a bit of throat-tearing savagery here
and there for good measure, the dog's preferred
method of dispatching victims in this 'brought
to you by Crest' feature is a surprisingly effective
dependence on more thoughtful (less visceral)
methods, emphasizing an unnatural intelligence
in the dog that lends a bit of tension to the
movie. Using spiritual evil and an affinity with
the occult to design the deaths of neighbors and
friends, the resulting mayhem is coldly interesting
if not stomach churning. This brings us to another
of the film's faults, primarily the absence of
any gut-churning violence. (And of course, no
sexuality, as this is hypocritically sponsor-approved
television for the masses! No skin for you, mister!)
While some of the finest, most
disturbing movies operate without viscera or intense
violence, operating on the 'less is more' approach,
and a carefully placed shadow is often more terrifying
than a dozen cheaply achieved bloodbaths, the
subject matter and plot of a story must dictate
which approach to take, not current marketing
trends for the prosaic expectations of some nonexistent
test market. This said, a film using as its basic
premise a devil dog errs if not focusing at least
in some degree on the very real threat that even
a normal pooch could represent. Still, since a
majority of the plot and thematic integrity of
the story hinges on the supernatural acts perpetuated
by the dog, there is at least some justification
for the downplaying of violence.
Dulled
by the television format in terms of content and
style, the director manages to inject personality
and some tension into the story, coaxing believable
(if tongue-in-cheek) performances from a decent
cast, and injecting professionalism into a story
that in less talented hands could have been a
worse disaster. Some well placed shocks accompany
the domestic drama rather well, and action unfolds
at a steady pace (even with those black-outs obviously
intended for commercial breakaways).
Devil
Dog is decidedly
dopey fun.
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The double disc special
presentation of the movie is generous considering
the obscurity of the material. Featuring English
and Italian Mono for sound, the transfer, while
showing evidence of its less than glorious origins,
is acceptable; expected faults of low color and
soft imaging rarely interfere with viewing. Extras
is the department where the DVD most excels, with
these bonus features somewhat outperforming the
value of the movie itself. Trailers for Just
Before Dawn, Frankenstein's
Bloody Terror, The
Being, and Syndicate
Sadists (plus a promo reel of titles released
via Media Blasters' Fangoria International imprint)
are offered on the first disc.
Disc Two is an impressive ménage of information
about the production and the cultural context
of the movie, including an audio interview with
Curtis Harrington which, while informative, could
have included more insider perspective. A 74-minute
featurette, To the Devil a Dog, is comprised
of interview sessions with producer Jerry Zeitman
and child stars Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann
(who also co-starred in Disney's Escape
To Witch Mountain). Now in their forties,
Richards and Eisenmann discuss not only Devil
Dog but their careers in general. A new
promotional trailer, a Martine Beswick photo gallery/text
interview, and, lastly, a Curtis Harrington filmography,
round out this minor cult movie offering.
3/25/06
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